AUBURN, pictures of family, prayer, and the PCA

Get ready for several rabbit trails that lead to a fun ending that only God could orchestra!


I love AUBURN.  I love the colors orange and blue, the people, the greeting War Eagle, the campus, the etc etc etc.

I love to pray.  If you are on my Christmas card list, you have been prayed for, if you are on my church directory, you have been prayed for, if you are in ministry that my church supports, you have been prayed for.

When Andrew was at AUBURN he was involved in the campus ministry-RUF that is a part of our denomination-PCA.  We have prayed for the PCA minister that is in charge of the RUF at AUBURN since 2000.  We have prayed for several ministers in the last 16 years.  Just recently Carl and I sent an encouraging message to the minister, Wes, who is the current PCA minister at AUBURN RUF.  Wes immediately wrote us a thank you.  I was very impressed!

For my birthday this year Andrew and Taylor gave me a photo shoot with them in AUBURN during the A day weekend.  Taylor had hired one of her sorority sisters, who is a photographer, to take our pictures.  We brought our clothes, coordinated our outfits and were looking forward to it.  A few days before our shoot, Taylor got a text from her sorority sister that she couldn't do the shoot but she offered Taylor another photography that she knew that was able to take our picture at the same time as the previous shoot was schedule.  Taylor checked out the new photographer's photos and was pleased and said yes.  Taylor told me the name of the new photographer, Nancy Simmons.  I typed her name on Facebook to look at her pictures and I was stunned to see that I have three friends in common, Laura Dowling, Abbie Bailey and Cristina Green.   All these are PCA friends of mine.  I was curious as to how did they know both of us.  Laura goes to church in AUBURN so I figured that Nancy must go to the PCA church in AUBURN.  Abbie and Cristina are married to PCA pastors.  Could it be that Nancy Simmons was married to Wes Simmons the RUF pastor at AUBURN??????  Indeed she is.  What in the world.  I couldn't wait to tell Nancy our connections.  She was stunned enjoyed them as much as I did!

Here is a picture for Abbie and Cristina and Laura.  This is my new friend Nancy.  I love AUBURN, pictures of family, praying for many folks and meeting some that I don't know and the PCA.  We serve a great God who loves to lavish us with His blessings!

Enjoy this song!

Beautiful song about an unborn son by Sam Martin

New bookcases plus so much more!

Joel and Josh Grenier are just an all around amazing father son duo. I had a long list for The Odd Job Guys- their company.

I needed three thresholds fixed to keep the wind from whipping in and maybe a few unwanted critters!!! Plus the molding in Kaitlin's bath needed some attention. But most of all I wanted/needed built in bookcases.

This is the after the free standing bookcases are emptied and moved but before any work was started.

After day one.

This is the all done picture. I'm thrilled. The shelves on the right are repositional and the ones on the left are fixed. 

Josh walked around my house measuring my books to get an idea on how tall to make the stationary shelves. Joel found a place under a window ledge by my new bookcases where the wind was whipping into the house. He sealed that up for us.  What service!!!! 

I highly recommend Odd Job Guys if you are in the LR area!

All the books from my two free standing bookcases fit into one side of the new ones.  I plan to have Carl help me resize the shelves and start filling up the adjustable side soon!  I am so excited!  It is the little things!

Covenant Women's Retreat

This past weekend was the Women's Retreat at our church. Kaitlin caught the vision to lead this years as we drive away from the 2014 retreat. She was the driving force and I was her sidekick. Since I am the more vocal (loudest ) and the extrovert, I was the one upfront making announcements etc but Kaitlin is the one who had it all together on her laptop. She had a constant email conversation going with our speakers and worship leader so that we were all on the same page. She also worked tirerlessly on everything from getting door prizes to designing the logo to coming up with the craft two weeks before the retreat. My hat is off to Kaitlin! This retreat would not have happened without her hard work!

As we were praying about the retreat and praying for a retreat committee we were led to such a great group of ladies that I am honored to call friends- Heather, Erin, Nancy, Jessi, Sandy, Marian, and Kim. They did their own tasks over and above what we asked and then gave 110% to everyone else. I saw them being used by God to bless so many!

Abbie Bailey and Allison Bradsher were our speakers. They are sisters in law and former church members of Covenant. The theme they chose was His Dwelling Place. Their lesson titles were God Makes A Way, United to Jesus, Practicing the Presence and Dwelling Forever.  It was great to reconnect with them and sit under their teaching. They gave us a grand picture of our God and ways that I can connect with Him in my everyday life. 

Julie Melucci was our worship leader. Kaitlin heard her on the latest Indelible Grace album. She sings and wrote the music for ' Come, O Come, Thou Holy Spirit' on the latest album. Julie also plays with Moriah Peters and they will be opening for Drew Holcomb and the Neighbors in the next few months. Moriah is married to Joel Smallbone who sings with For King and Country.  Julie did an outstanding job leading us during worship and singing plus she was so warm and gracious. She enjoyed all the activities of the retreat. 

Below is a picture of Julie and me. 

Here are some of the retreat committee with KimT that always helps out!

Carl enjoyed resting in the front decorations. His goal was to sit up there so still that we wouldn't notice him. Carl was our sound man and he recorded the speakers and worship leader.

Beautiful front decorations.

Table decorations.  Sandy did the table decorations.  What you can't see in this picture is the lights that Sandy has under the lace.  It was magical!

Marisa taught everyone how to paint flowers in a mason jar. I'll post a finished picture later.

We also did 'speed friending'. You had 5 minutes to visit with the person across from you. Questions were supplied if you needed them.

We did a service project of fixing bags to give to the Salvation Army to hand out to the homeless.

Abbie!

Allison!

Julie!

We did a fun count down.

Our outstanding retreat committee! We were so blessed to be a part of this group!!!

An extra day! Make your list

A month from today is February 29. That means we have an extra day this year. I challenge you to be purposeful on that extra day. Go the extra mile for someone or lots of someones. We have been so blessed. Make that day count. Be a blessing!!!

How ? You ask. 

Cook a meal for someone or add an extra bean to your pot and share your supper. 

Take your pastor's wife to lunch or set a date to do that.

Have a group over to your house for lunch or supper or just coffee. I was at Sue's house recently and noticed how she added lemon to her water pitcher. Genius!!! I now do this!!!

You could use that day to plan your Easter celebration. Ours always involves dyeing eggs and our folks get really excited!!!

You could make a point to spend extra time with those you love doing what they love to do.

You could read to someone.

Other things you can do- drive through Chickfila or Starbucks and pay for the car behind you, go to the library to pay your fine and donate your change to the library- I've done this once and I felt like a rock star, they were so excited and it was $ .50, leave early enough so that you can let every car out into your lane- ok maybe not every car????, Get the idea?

Or if you are my friend Paige, you can celebrate your daughter's birthday.  She was born 4 years ago on the 29th so is she celebrating her 1st birthday or her 4th????

How about you??  What do you plan to do?

New Dining room, epantry, Mrs Meyers

My new Dining room. A few folks have asked what the 'new' dining room looks like.  Here it is on a picked up day.  

So I heard about a new to me site called epantry.com  I was encouraged to try them out because they were having a sale on Mrs Meyers products.  I jumped on the site and got me a nice order ready and added stuff to my cart and then checked out- but the page never showed that I had checked out.  I was confused and disappointed.  What do the confused and disappointed do.... They jump on amazon.com and add stuff to they 'pantry box'.  Amazon has this HUGE box that ships for 5.99 no matter what you put in it.  They have a list of what food or household products you can add to said box.  I love this because with my limitations this lets me shop from home for many things.  I got lots of Mrs Meyers things-lots of cool scents.  And then. A few days later I realized that my epantry order went through. So I have LOTS of Mrs Meyers stuff!!!!   This is half my stuff. 😳   I have given Marisa several items.  I plan to give a set of scents as my door prize for our upcoming Women's Retreat.  Sandy is thrilled and is enjoying using lots of different scents.

Kaitlin's favorite smell.   Do you enjoy using this product?  If so, what is your favorite scent?

Soon I'll have built in bookcases where this white bookcase is now. I'm beyond excited!  

This table is usually in the dining room but it is a train table for the present time.

Cozy Rooms, Goals and helpful children

I've rearranged, well, I should say, Kaitlin and Marisa rearranged the furniture in our dining room and living room.  Now I have a cozy room and a large dining room and I love these changes!


Have you made changes in the New Year?  Resolutions? Goals?
I'm a goal maker.

Here are my goals for 2016 in no order-
Write 91 letters- in honor of my mama.  She would be 91 this year if she were living and she loved writing letters and reading
Read 91 books- I'd love to read 50 that I already own and read 51 from library but alas this is something to strive for in the future as I have already seen things that jumped in my amazon cart and have made there way to my house since Jan 1.  I plan to use Tim Challies Reading Challenge.
Work for 3 hours a week on my counted cross stitch- I have three projects started
Listen to 12 TED talks- do you have a favorite one?
Learn to read a crochet pattern- I'm taking a class on craftsy
Read a commentary on Job- that book puzzles me
Go through every book we own and decide if we need to keep it or donate it- I have one bookcase that has crashed to the floor and I need to go through especially those books.  On a happier note I plan to have some built-in bookcases in the next few months
Pray through my Christmas card list
Pray through our church directory
Give gifts with ribbons and no strings- I have lately been convicted that I don't do this!
Make 24 meals for others
Keep on top of my verses that I have memorized and add more


What are your goals/resolutions?
I'll post the Dining room soon!